Keep Rejoicing!

Introduction

Verse 10 says, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.”

Israel did not have much to rejoice about. They lost everything. Their land, their homes, the temple. They were foreigners in a strange land. And still they are called to rejoice. Why? Because the Sovereign Lord will take action. He will send his Servant, the Messiah, to save and set his people free. The Servant of the Lord, filled with, and anointed by the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord, will turn their mourning into joy, their despair into praise, ashes into crowns of beauty. Because of him they will receive a double portion instead of shame. They will rejoice in their inheritance, and not experience disgrace. They will have everlasting joy.

Today we can delight greatly in the Lord, and our souls can rejoice in our God. We can rejoice and keep rejoicing. Why? Because …

1. We Are Saved!

Jesus Christ came. The faithful Sovereign YHWH kept his promise. These words of Isaiah 61 were fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus himself confirmed this when he read from Isaiah, and told the synagogue in Nazareth, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21).

We can delight and rejoice in the Lord Jesus because he clothed us with garments of salvation, and arrayed us in robes of his righteousness. With his death and resurrection he redeemed us. His blood washed us clean, reconciled us with God. Our sins, our stained, dirty clothes are removed, and he clothes us with his righteousness. He puts on us his pure, white, holy clothes so that we can stand before the Father in righteousness, pure, and holy.

He gave us new life. When Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior, we are born again. He frees us, liberates us, from all forms of bondage, slavery, and oppression. No matter how big, or ugly, or shameful our sins were, they are forgiven. Whatever our hurts, hangups, habits, or addictions are, Jesus breaks those chains that keep us captive in darkness, and he sets us free.

Jesus binds up our hearts when we are brokenhearted. He comforts us when we mourn. He provides for those who grieve. He gives us a crown of beauty, oil of joy, and garments of praise. Those of you who know Jesus as Lord can testify to how Jesus set you free, and gave you a new life. And if anyone has not yet accepted Jesus as Lord, I invite you to take that step. Jesus will set you free. And he will give you a new life, an eternal life with everlasting joy.

We delight greatly and rejoice in the Lord Jesus because he saved us, he freed us, and gave us new life.

2. Live with Joy before the World

However, this is not only about us, and this salvation is not only for us. This is ultimately about the glory of God. Verse 11, “so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” We are called to live this new life with joy before the world.

Jesus clothed us with garments of salvation and robes of righteousness. Jesus adorns us beautifully like brides and bridegrooms. Because he wants to present us as his bride, “a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph 5:26). Jesus renewed and restored us. He is rebuilding his kingdom in and through us. We inherited his kingdom. We are kingdom citizens. Jesus created a new people, a new humanity, the people, the children of God, who are the dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (Eph 2:22).

This new people, we, “will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor” (v3). We are called priests of the Lord, and ministers of our God (v6).

Today these words of Isaiah are being fulfilled through us. Jesus sends us into the world “to proclaim good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (v1-2). In Jesus Christ, the year of the Lord’s favor, God’s kingdom, has arrived. And until he comes back, we are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. We continue his mission to proclaim God’s kingdom.

Therefore, we are called to stand up and be strong like oak trees. We must live righteous, live holy, before the nations. Before the nations we must worship and praise God. Shout out loud. We must rejoice in the Lord, live with joy before the world.

Then this righteousness, this praise, this joy, will attract the nations to God. They will acknowledge that the Lord has blessed his people, blessed us. They will come to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, and they will praise and glorify God.

3. Rejoice in the Lord always!

So, we must rejoice in the Lord always. Jesus clothed us with garments of salvation and robes of his righteousness. We have received everlasting joy.

This is deep, enduring, real joy. This is not a feeling of happiness that is based upon our feelings, and depends upon worldly things or experiences. This is not the fleeting moments of happiness, which are here now, and then gone the next moment.

Joy is more than just an emotion. It is a state of being, a state of mind, an attitude of the heart, which results from a choice we make. It’s an action we take. To be joyful, to rejoice, is our response to God’s actions. It is our response to Jesus saving us, to the new life he gave us. We choose to be joyful, and to rejoice in the Lord always!

We rejoice because we experience God’s presence through his Holy Spirit in our lives. We rejoice because Jesus lives in us. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s presence and work in our lives. Joy enables us to endure the trials and suffering of the Christian life.

As children of God we experience joy in the midst of pain, sorrow, and suffering. We do not despair, we do not give in because we know that God is in control. No matter what happens, I am and remain a child of God. I am saved. I believe and know that God is with me, even if it does not feel like he is.

Joy is a decision to focus on God, his kingdom, and others, and not on myself. I choose to do this even when I am in excruciating pain, deep sorrow, and suffering. To rejoice does not mean that we ignore, hide, or suppress the pain, grief, sorrow, and sadness. That’s wrong, because then the pain and suffering festers, becomes worse, and never heals. No, instead, we lean into the pain. We experience it, accept it. We shout out. We moan and groan. We cry tears of sorrow. We choose to go into and through the pain. And we do so with joy.

Yes, we can rejoice while going through the pain and sorrow because our eyes are fixed on Jesus. We rejoice because Jesus saved us. And we know that our present suffering is nothing compared to the glorious joy, peace, and love that awaits us.

We rejoice in suffering because we know our Lord is teaching us something. Therefore, we lean into our pain because we want to learn. We rejoice, we “glory in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Rom 5:3-5)

We rejoice because Jesus lives, and he lives in us. He gave us his Holy Spirit. When we focus on Jesus, his presence, his power, gives us joy.

4. Abide in Christ

How do we keep on rejoicing in the Lord? By abiding in Christ. All that we have talk about in this advent series — keep hoping, keep making peace, keep rejoicing, keep loving — all these are possible when we abide in Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, Philippians 4:4-9, and Colossians 3:15-17; 4:2 teach us how to abide in Christ, and to keep rejoicing in the Lord.

Prayer, thanksgiving, praise — “Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” There is always something to be thankful for.

“Do not quench the Spirit.” Walk by, live by the power of the Spirit. Keep in step with the Spirit. Give ourselves over to the Spirit to be led by the Spirit. And we will bear the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy. (Gal 5)

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all.” Be rooted in God’s Word, yield the sword of the Word to know what is truth. “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

“Hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” Live holy lives.

Impossible, you may say. Yes, impossible for us, but not for God. Do you believe in God and the power of the Holy Spirit? Then trust him, focus on him, rejoice in him. “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus … And the God of peace will be with you.”

We have a choice. We can give in to despair, or, we can keep on rejoicing. Rejoice in the Lord always. When we chose Jesus, when we chose to believe in Jesus Christ, when we chose to love him, and trust him to be the Lord of our lives, God himself will do this. He will fill us with inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Pet 1:8) so that we can keep on rejoicing always in the Lord.